Conan O’Brien needs a friend and Team Coco’s other podcasts are now owned by SiriusXM. O’Brien has sold its digital media business and podcast network to the satellite radio giant.
As part of the deal, which is worth about $150 million according to The Wall Street Journal, O’Brien has signed a five-year talent deal to continue hosting his podcast. He will also create and produce a Team Coco comedy channel. In addition, SiriusXM has the right to distribute some videos from O’Brien’s podcast, along with archive footage from his TBS evening show.
Team Coco’s approximately 50 employees will continue to produce existing shows and work on other SiriusXM content. Other podcasts from the network include Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan (a spin-off of the flagship show) and Parks and Recollection, a behind-the-scenes show of Parks and Recreation hosted by star Rob Lowe and writer Alan Yang. Collectively, the 10 podcasts have been downloaded more than 418 million times.
Don’t worry if you’re listening to Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and other Team Coco shows elsewhere. They are still available on other podcast platforms.
“When I started in television, my ultimate goal was to work my way up to radio,” said O’Brien. “This new deal with SiriusXM builds on the great relationship started several years ago with a team that excels in their field.”
SiriusXM has been trying to become a bigger player in podcasting amid stiff competition from Spotify. Over the past few years, it has picked up the Stitcher platform and podcasts like 99% Invisible. SiriusXM has also bolstered its original content with exclusive shows from Marvel. It also bought podcast hosting and analytics platform Simplecast.
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